Carrier device for hanger supported garments

ABSTRACT

A carrier device adapted to facilitate transportation of garments supported on conventional clothes hangers includes a connecting element adapted to releasably receive the hook portion of a hanger, a skirt depending from the connecting element so as to hang over a portion of the lower body of the hanger, and a handle anchored to the connecting element to facilitate transportation and manipulation of the device.

I United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,885,723 Magnie May 27, 1975 [54] CARRIER DEVICE FOR HANGER 3,554,418 1/1971 Holmes 224/45 T SUPPORTED GARMENTS iilii 31133? if??? 224/45 T e an e a. 76 l t Rob tL.M 945Dt tSt. 1 or i g e FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [221 Pu d Jan 14 1974 1,475,740 6/1966 France 223/98 e [21] Appl. No.: 432,963 Primary ExaminerRobert J. Spar Assistant Examiner-Kenneth Noland U S Cl 5 T. 3/9 Attorney, Agent, or FirmGary M. Polumbus [51] Int. [58] Field of Search 224/45 T, 4 A, 4 C, 2 D; 1

223/98, 206/7 K 7 190/41 B A carrier device adapted to facilitate transportation of garments supported on conventional clothes hangers [56] References Cited includes a connecting element adapted to releasably receive the hook portion of a hanger, a skirt depend- UNI-TED STATES PATENTS ing from the connecting element so as to hang over a portion of the lower of the hanger and a handle 118791739 9/1932 Flelscher anchored to the connecting element to facilitate trans- $2222 portation and manipulation of the device. 2:878:978 3 1959 Glowka 223/98 11 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures CARRIER DEVICE FOR HANGER SUPPORTED GARMENTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to accessories for transporting hanger supported garments, clothing or the like and more particularly to a device which is adapted to be removably mounted on the hook portion of a hanger to facilitate transportation of garments supported on the hanger and to protect the garments from environmental damage.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is frequently necessary to carry clothing supported on conventional clothes hangers or the like for iong distances. such as when traveling or after picking the clothing up from a professional laundry/Normally, in these instances, the clothing is covered by a garment cover either in the form of a thin flexible sheet of paper or plastic, such as of the type placed over clothing by professional launderers, or in the form of a more dura ble flexible plastic covering such as of the type used by travelers to enclose their hanger supported garments during travel. In either instance, the garment cover has a centrally located opening at its top through which the hook portion of the clothes hanger protrudes. This opening exposes the garments to damaging environmental elements such as rain or the like and also allows the accumulation of dust on the enclosed garments in the area immediately beneath the opening when the covers are used for storage of the garments. Accordingly, while a typical garment cover substantially protects the garments from environmental damage, the garments are still exposed to minor damage.

Also, when transporting hanger supported garments, typically the fingers will be placed beneath the hook portion of the hanger but when the garments are heavy and/or transported for long distances, the hanger will cut into the fingers. While various devices have been contrived for facilitating transportation of hanger supported garments, such as passing loops of rope or the like around the hook portion of the hanger, these devices have not been entirely satisfactory.

While applicant is aware of prior art devices which are adapted to protect the hanger per se, such as that disclosed in US. Pat. No. 2,878,978 issued to M. Glowka, he is not aware of devices which are adapted to both protect garments carried within conventional garment covers and facilitate transportation of the hanger supported garments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a carrier device for hanger supported garments which facilitates transportation of the hanger supported garments.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a carrier for hanger supported garments which also covers the opening in the top of conventional garment covers to protect the garments in the covers from environmental damage.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a carrier for hanger supported garments which is quickly and easily mounted upon the hook portion of a conventional hanger in a manner such that the fingers of a user of the device are protected from the hanger material.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a carrier for hanger supported garments having a conveniently placed handle which a user can grasp in carrying the hanger supported garments and which also facilitates placement of the hangers on a hanger support rod or the like.

These and other objects of the present invention are obtained with a small easy-to-manufacture device that can be economically produced on a mass-production basis. These characteristics of the device render it ideally suited for gratuitous distribution such as by professional laundries or the like.

Particularly, the carrier device of the present invention includes a connecting element adapted to be removably mounted upon the hook portion of a conventional clothes hanger, adepending skirt that drapes downwardly over a portion of the garments or garment cover supported by the hanger body, and a handle connected to the connection element to facilitate manipulation of the device. The device is particularly useful in transporting hanger supported garments which are covered with a conventional garment cover that envelopes the garments with the exception of a small opening at the top of the garment cover through which the hook portion of the hanger protrudes. It will be more fully appreciated with the detailed description hereinafter, that when the device'is used in this manner, the small opening in the top of the garment cover is covered by the depending skirt of the device and the connection element protects a users fingers from the relatively thin wire or the like used for the hook portion of the hanger which otherwise tends to cut into the users fingers when carrying heavy garments or when carrying garments for substantial distances.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical section taken through the carrier device of the present invention with the device mounted upon a clothes hanger supporting a garment cover,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the carrier device of FIG. 1 with the hanger and garment cover removed,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a carrier device in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of the carrier device of the present invention, and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the carrier device 8 of the present invention is seen to include a connection element 10, a skirt l2, and a handle 14 integral with the connection element 10. As shown in FIG. I, the carrier device is primarily designed to be mounted upon and thereby removably connected to a conventional clothes hanger 16 which may be supporting a typical garment cover 17. The clothes hanger shown is of the type having an upper hook portion 18 and a lower body portion 20 which is of generally triangular configuration.

The connection element 10 of the carrier device 8 is shaped to generally conform with the hook portion 18 of a conventional clothes hanger and, therefore, has a generally straight neck portion 22 and an inverted U- shaped head portion 24; it being understood, however,

that the entire connection element of the device is made of a flexible material, such as plastic, rubber or the like which will flex to facilitate insertion of the hook portion 18 of a hanger thereinto. The connection element is thicker and consequently wider at the lower end of the neck portion 22 and at the juncture of the neck portion 22 with the head portion 24 to facilitate insertion of the hook portion of the hanger into the connection element and to reinforce the connection of the handle to the connection element.

The connection element 10 has an elongated hollow cavity therein which opens through the bottom end of the neck portion 22 and terminates just short of the free end of the head portion 24. The elongated cavity 26, as seen in FIG. 2, extends the substantial width of the connection element and is, therefore, wide enough to receive the hook portion 18 of several side-by-side hangers. It is also larger through the neck portion than through the head portion to accommodate the relatively wide neck of conventional clothes hangers.

The skirt 12 of the carrier device 8 comprises an integral downwardly and outwardly flaring extension of the connection element 10 and in the disclosed form, includes a pair of downwardly divergent end walls 28 and parallel downwardly directed side walls 30 interconnecting associated sides of the end walls. The skirt is preferably made of a flexible material such as thin plastic so as to readily conform to various thicknesses of clothing supported on the hangers on which the device is mounted.

The handle 14 of the carrier device 8 consists of an upper horizontal extension 32 which is continuous through a reverse curve 34 with a lower extension 36. The upper horizontal extension 32 is anchored to the connection element near the juncture of the head portion 24 of the connection element with the neck portion 22 and the lower extension 36 of the handle is connected to the lower end of the neck portion. It will be appreciated that at each location where the handle is connected to the connection element, the connection element is reinforced or is of relatively thick dimension so as to adequately support the connection of the handle to the connection element. The handle thereby cooperates with the connection element in defining an enclosed gripping area where a user of the device can grasp and manipulate the device in any desired manner.

Typically, a user of the device might carry it and the hangers on which it is mounted by extending fingers beneath the head portion 24 of the connection element and the horizontal extension 32 of the handle. When placing the device upon a support rod or the like, the fingers could be removed from beneath the connection element so that the device was solely supported by the handle whereby the head portion 24 of the connection element could be placed over the support rod without interference from the users fingers. It should be appreciated that when the device is carried, the users fingers are buffered and protected from the hangers themselves so that his fingers will not be cut or otherwise damaged even when carrying heavy garments over extended distances.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a second embodiment of the carrier device of the present invention is shown with like parts having been given like reference numerals within a prime suffix. In this embodiment of the carrier device 8', the connection element 10' and the skirt 12' are identical to the corresponding parts in the first described embodiment. however, the handle 38 does not define an enclosed gripping area in cooperation with the connection element but rather is in the form of a rearward extension from the juncture of the head portion 24 of the connection element with the neck portion 22'. The handle 38 has a downwardly opening transversely extending groove 40 into which a users fingers may extend in supporting the device. Preferably, in use, the user would carry the device and the hangers upon which the device is mounted by placing fingers both beneath the head portion 24 of the connection element I0 and in the groove 40 of the handle 38 and then when placing the carrier device 8' onto a supporting rod, hook or the like, remove the fingers beneath the connection element and place the device onto the rod, hook or the like by supporting the device solely with the handle.

A third embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 with like parts having been given like reference numerals with a double prime suffix. In this embodiment, the handle 14" and the skirt 12'' are identical to the handle and skirt described in the first embodiment but the connection element 42, instead of being made of a flexible plastic material having an elongated cavity therein into which the hook portion of the hanger is inserted, is made of a more rigid material, such as a rigid plastic, and has grooves 44 in the outer surface 46 thereof which extend along opposite sides of the handle 14", FIG. 5. In this embodiment as with the aforedescribed embodiments, the connection element 42 includes an inverted U-shaped head portion 48 and a relatively straight vertically extending neck portion 50 so that the grooves 44 in the outer surface of the connection element assume the same configuration as the connection element and of the hook portion of a conventional clothes hanger. Since this configuration is the same as the configuration of the hook portion of a conventional clothes hanger, a clothes hanger can be positioned in each groove so as to be removably retained therein. In mounting the device upon a hanger, the hook portion of the hanger is first inserted through an opening 52 in the lower end of the connection element and then positioned within a groove 44 so that the hook portion of the hanger is retained in the groove and the body portion of the hanger is suspended within the confines of the downwardly opening skirt 12". As shown in FIG. 4, there are two openings 52 in the bottom of the connection element, each cooperating with one of the grooves 44 in the connection element, it being understood, however, that any number of grooves and corresponding openings could be provided to facilitate mounting of the device on any number of hangers.

As with the previously described embodiments, the carrier device 8" illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 would normally be carried by placing several fingers beneath the head portion 48 of the connection element and the horizontal extension 32" of the handle 14", and then when the device was to be placed upon a support rod, the fingers beneath the head portion of the device would be removed to an out-of-the-way position, and the device placed upon the rod through use of the handle.

Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that changes in details of structure may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. A carrier device for hanger supported garments wherein the hanger has an upper hook shaped portion and a depending body portion comprising,

a skirt adapted to extend at least partially over the body portion of the hanger, said skirt having an opening therethrough,

a connection element integrally connected to the skirt and extending upwardly from the skirt from a location immediately adjacent said opening in the skirt, said connection element having means for confining the hook shaped portion of the hanger so that the connection element conforms in configuration to that of the hook shaped portion of the hanger, and

a handle connected to the connection element adapted to be grasped by a user in carrying the hanger and the garments supported thereby.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said connection element consists of an elongated flexible member with an elongated cavity therein in which the hook shaped portion of the hanger can be inserted.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said handle is connected to the connection element closely adjacent to the uppermost extent of the connection element when it is fitted over the hook shaped portion of the hanger.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said connection element is reinforced at the location of its connection to said handle.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein the reinforcement comprises a relatively thick portion of thev connection element.

6. The invention of claim 3 wherein said handle is connected to the connection element at two spaced locations so as to cooperate with the connection element in defining a closed loop which is easily grasped by a user.

7. The invention of claim 3 wherein said handle is of inverted U-shaped configuration.

8. The invention of claim 1 wherein said connection element is rigid and conforms in longitudinal crosssectional configuration to the hook shaped portion of the hanger, and wherein said connection element has at least one groove adapted to receive and releasably retain the hook portion of the hanger.

9. The invention of claim 8 wherein there are two of said grooves and wherein said handle is connected to the connection element at a location between said grooves.

10. The invention of claim 9 wherein said handle is connected to the connection element at two spaced locations so as to cooperate with the connection element in defining a closed loop which is easily grasped by a user.

11. The invention of claim 1 wherein said skirt consists of a flexible downwardly opening member which drapes over the upper part of the body portion of the hanger. 

1. A carrier device for hanger supported garments wherein the hanger has an upper hook shaped portion and a depending body portion comprising, a skirt adapted to extend at least partially over the body portion of the hanger, said skirt having an opening therethrough, a connection element integrally connected to the skirt and extending upwardly from the skirt from a location immediately adjacent said opening in the skirt, said connection element having means for confining the hook shaped portion of the hanger so that the connection element conforms in configuration to that of the hook shaped portion of the hanger, and a handle connected to the connection element adapted to be grasped by a user in carrying the hanger and the garments supported thereby.
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said connection element consists of an elongated flexible member with an elongated cavity therein in which the hook shaped portion of the hanger can be inserted.
 3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said handle is connected to the connection element closely adjacent to the uppermost extent of the connection element when it is fitted over the hook shaped portion of the hanger.
 4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said connection element is reinforced at the location of its connection to said handle.
 5. The invention of claim 4 wherein the reinforcement comprises a relatively thiCk portion of the connection element.
 6. The invention of claim 3 wherein said handle is connected to the connection element at two spaced locations so as to cooperate with the connection element in defining a closed loop which is easily grasped by a user.
 7. The invention of claim 3 wherein said handle is of inverted U-shaped configuration.
 8. The invention of claim 1 wherein said connection element is rigid and conforms in longitudinal cross-sectional configuration to the hook shaped portion of the hanger, and wherein said connection element has at least one groove adapted to receive and releasably retain the hook portion of the hanger.
 9. The invention of claim 8 wherein there are two of said grooves and wherein said handle is connected to the connection element at a location between said grooves.
 10. The invention of claim 9 wherein said handle is connected to the connection element at two spaced locations so as to cooperate with the connection element in defining a closed loop which is easily grasped by a user.
 11. The invention of claim 1 wherein said skirt consists of a flexible downwardly opening member which drapes over the upper part of the body portion of the hanger. 